What I saw was amazing!

[Thunderstix]

When I was in Dawson Creek last week on business, and elk hunting in the mornings of course, I saw an amazing sight. I (and most others) have hunted the Skeena River islands for years using the method of cruising the river and watching for fresh moose tracks coming out of the water onto an island. So often I would see cow and calf tracks coming out together and never really thought much of it. That all changed last week while watching a cow and calf on the opposite side of the Peace River. A young bull moose was after the cow (I realized later) and she wanted nothing to do with him, you know, with kids in the room and all . She decides that she and her youngster will swim across to my side which was about 350-400 yards. Well holy crap, if the calf doesn't put its front hooves on the back of the cow while they swim. I could not believe my eyes! It makes perfect sense. That calf would be swept down stream another 200 yards from where its mother would come out if it had to swim itself. As it was, they started swimming directly across from me and came to shore about 250 yards down from me. They could not get up the 8 ft high bank where they were and I realized they would have to go right by me to use the trail all the other moose use. I lay at the top of the bank and watched them come. They would have walked directly below me had it not been for a shift in the wind when they were 30 yards away. They turned around, went back about 50 yards, and wouldn't you know it, the calf puts it hooves on moms back again and back across they go.
Now I understand why the tracks are always coming out together.
This is Paul Harvey and now you know the rest of the story.

[3kills]

that would be something to see...never eventhought about it before either...

[bill]

Good stuff and of course no camera . yes i never even thought about it but yes you allways see there tracks on shore together that is amazing would have loved to been there to seeit too

[Nails]

Thunder, Good story and info.

[tracker]

I saw the same thing a few years ago but with a muley doe and fawn. she swam the lake with the fawn on her back/neck area.

[QnsCowboy]

Unreal...gotta love seeing stuff like that....Not just out for the sport/food.....

[Foxer]

That's pretty amazing. It's just so cool to spend time with these animals.

[eagleye]

It is truly amazing the things you get to see when you spend a lot of time in the wild. I remember many years ago before I had even read anything about it, watching a very large Bull moose in a big pond. At first he was standing on the bottom with his belly in the water. Shortly he swam out to where there were a bunch of lilypads. I looked away momentarily, and then looked back and he had simply disappeared!!!! I could see some bubbles in the lilypad area, but otherwise no moose!! 30-45 seconds later, here come Bullwinkle to the surface, his mouth full of lilypad roots and stalks. I was absolutely flabbergasted! I never knew at the time they would actually dive for a favored food. In the 40 or so years since I witnessed that event, I have seen the swimming feat described on at least three occasions, have seen bull moose breeding cows [likewise Whitetail and muleys with does] seen Bears nursing their young, seen cougar feeding on a fresh kill, etc, etc. Makes the time spent in the outdoors very, very, worthwhile. Regards, Eagleye.

[bone-collector]

well eagleye, one day we will need to sit down over a tea or hot chocolate (not aloud coffee anymore) and debate the diving moose theory

and yes seeing anything in nature uninterupted is a good moment , even watching a martin play in your coffee can on the trap line trail

[Foxer]

and yes seeing anything in nature uninterupted is a good moment , even watching a martin play in your coffee can on the trap line trail

Or watching a pair of $^*$ chimpmunks run the %^%$ off with yer (&^(%$ sunglasses and a packet of hershey's kisses. (little buggers)